-CRM
Coughlin’s Law – “Know your CUSTOMER before they forget YOU”
Know your customer – by name, drink, food, their friends, habits, spending patterns – basic CRM right?
Back when I was managing pubs, we were always on the look out for people who could remember names with faces and then something else about the customer. It sometimes got to the point where we would spot check the staff at various times that they would have to know at least 10 people in the pub – their name, where they worked, what they drank and some random fact about them. The object was to get the staff to get to know our customers and then to share that information with others.
The customers would then feel more comfortable with coming into the pub on different days and times because they knew that there would be someone there that KNEW them, how to take care of them and how to make them feel special.
As with everything, there were some who were better at this than others. There were some who knew everyone in town and their friends. There were some who knew a face and a drink and there were some staff who could remember an odd story. Like bar staff, there are different CRM software vendors and features in each product on the market.
Some CRM software is free and opensource, some are cheap and contain few features, some are medium priced and need training to use, some are expensive and require a consultant to live at your business but do everything under the sun.
You need to decide for yourself what features are important to you, if you have the staff to take care of it on your own and how much you care to spend on it. The first two are really up to the individual company although there are some MUST have features. The question on if you host your own or have it in the cloud is getting more difficult to answer for some and easier for others. Unless you need to customize the heck out of the software or have very high security standards, you are better off putting the service in the cloud. The last criteria I would take issue with – PRICE.
These days I think that businesses can not afford to not have a CRM system beyond “John” who knows everyone in town. There are some CRM systems that can fit your budget and get you started down the road of KNOWING who your CUSTOMER really is and how they interact with your business. Here is a classic example of a company that needs to have a CRM system implemented.
My father-in-law has been an Atlanta Falcon’s season ticket holder since the 70′s. Every year he buys his two tickets, parking pass, food and drink at the stadium and sometimes some Falcon’s gear. You would think by now the Falcon’s organization would know who he is.
If he came into my pub 3 times in a week or a month, WE would have known his name, where he worked and his drink. After 30 years, I would have know everything about the man.
Year after year the only thing the Falcon’s organization does is raise his ticket price when they have a golden opportunity here. They have something that most organizations would love to have – a loyal customer and spending habits for past 30 years. Do you think with the most simple CRM system the Falcon’s organization could have marketed more to my father-in-law? Do you think they could have made him more of a “RAVING FAN“? Do you think they could have ENGAGED him more and created and ADVOCATE? Very easily.
What do you think the Falcon’s organization could have done over the years using a simple or complex CRM system to create a bigger FAN?
Look for my article on CRM must have features coming soon.
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Robert specializes in CRM, xRM, SCRM and SharePoint Solutions. Robert is a husband, a proud father and organic farmer